Turkey marks first year of foiled coup

Turkey is set to mark the first anniversary of last year's deadly July 15 coup attempt with a series of commemoration events slated to take place all across Turkey, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expected to address the public in Istanbul and Ankara.

The commemoration events all around the country will be launched with a special session in the parliament's general assembly at 1:00 p.m. in Ankara. The leaders of political parties will be present at the extraordinary session to give 10-minute speeches each to mark the importance of the day.

Following the official ceremony in parliament, the country will see "National Unity Marches" in Ankara and Istanbul simultaneously at 6:30 p.m.

In Ankara, the march will start in the central Ulus district and end in Kızılay Square, renamed as the July 15 Kızılay National Will Square after last year's attempted takeover. During the march, participants are expected to carry a meters-long Turkish flag.

In Istanbul, the march will start on the Anatolian side at 6:30 p.m., with participants set to enter the July 15 Martyrs Bridge, formerly known as the Bosporus Bridge and renamed to honor the victims of the thwarted coup, at 8:00 p.m., which is also expected to be attended by Erdoğan. The bridge will be closed to traffic at noon.

Erdoğan is set to come to the rally at 9:15 p.m., along with the relatives of those who lost their lives or were left wounded while preventing putschist soldiers from seizing control over the country. After the night prayer, Erdoğan will address participants through special audiovisual screenings.

Following his speech, a monument built for July 15 will be inaugurated. 

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